A civil society group is unhappy with the Medical Council of Thailand's legal action against the National Health Security Office (NHSO)'s policy over free medicine for 16 ailments under the universal healthcare scheme.
It suggested the council immediately withdraw the lawsuit for the sake of patients.
Saree Aongsomwang, secretary-general of the Thailand Consumer Council (TCC), on Saturday expressed concern about the conflict between the Medical Council of Thailand and the Pharmacy Council of Thailand after the Supreme Administrative Court accepted the council's complaint against the NHSO policy, which provides free medicine at pharmacies for symptoms on the list.
The symptoms include headaches, dizziness, joint or muscle pain, fever, cough, sore throat, stomachache, constipation, diarrhea, skin wounds and skin irritation.
The policy was implemented in 2022 and its advocates say it has helped save lives.
The TCC said this is not just a dispute between authorities but also an issue of patient safety, as minor symptoms can lead to severe conditions if not treated with proper medication.
Ms Saree said the policy was designed to help ease congestion at hospitals and lower the burden on medical staff, which is in line with the Ministry of Public Health's policy to enhance the capacity of primary healthcare units.
More importantly, she said, the policy gives more options to patients who retain the right to visit a hospital if they want.
"This legal action has confused consumers who now fear the service will be terminated.
"We would like to see the Medical Council of Thailand withdraw the lawsuit against NHSO, and all parties should reach a consensus that benefits patients," she said.
The NHSO deputy secretary-general Dr Attaporn Limpanyalert, meanwhile, insisted all universal healthcare cardholders will continue to benefit from the policy until the court reaches a verdict.
On Tuesday, the Pharmacy Council of Thailand said all prescriptions fulfilled by pharmacists are handled with ultimate safety.
Its report said over 1.79 million people have benefitted from the policy since October 2022, with 90% recovering from the symptoms and no severe cases or fatalities reported due to the service.
The Pharmacy Council said the Medical Council seems not to object to people buying drugs at the pharmacy themselves, but has problems only with the NHSO's free medicine policy for universal healthcare card holders.
Hence, there are doubts about whether the concern is just for the people's medical safety, it said.
It also called on the Medical Council to respect other professionals' ethics with regards to the prescriptions of medicines to the public.